Pages

August 31, 2010

G132: Orioles 5, Red Sox 2

Beckett (7-7-3-1-5, 106) had two rough innings -- three straight hits in the first and two singles, a walk, a wild pitch, and an infield error in the third -- but was enough for the Orioles to top the Sox.

Down 3-0, Mike Lowell singled to begin the fifth and Jed Lowrie hit a one-out home run to left. In the sixth, Boston loaded the bases with two outs, but Lowell struck out looking. In the seventh, the Sox had runners at second and third with only one out, but Marco Scutaro grounded to third and Daniel Nava struck out.

Felix Doubront was tagged for two solo dongs in the eighth, but it didn't much matter. Even as the Rays were being trounced by Toronto, the Sox went meekly in the ninth.

The Rays lost to the Blue Jays 13-5 (Toronto erupted for a 10-run sixth) and the Yankees beat the A's 9-3. Boston stayed 7 GB Tampa Bay in the WC and fell 8 GB New York in the East.

Former pitcher Mitch Williams believes the Red Sox will win the wild card and the Yankees will be sitting at home in October. His reasoning? Josh Beckett is "back now", "Boston and Tampa Bay have better bullpens than the Yankees, and the Yankees "lack depth in the starting rotation". ... And who are we to argue with the Wild Thing's logic?

On Sunday night, the Red Sox lost for the 57th time this season. In those 57 games, they've averaged 1.07 RBI after the 5th inning and had none after the 5th in 25 of those losses (44%). To my eyes, that seemed like a very low average and a high percentage. Until I looked at the last two seasons.

In March, outfield prospect Ryan Westmoreland underwent surgery to remove a cavernous malformation from his brain stem. This week, he'll work out with the Lowell Spinners and Greenville Drive (both A) to continue his rehab, though he will not play in any of the games.

1999 - Trailing 12-4, Cleveland scores 10 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning and defeats the Angels 14-12. It's the 3rd time in 1999 that Cleveland rallied from eight runs down to win -- May 7 against Tampa Bay and July 3 against Kansas City were the others -- and it sets a major league record.

Meaning that Boston must go 25-6 to overtake the Yankees, and 24-7 to tie. They can only lose 6 or 7 games for the rest of the year.

Basically, they are allowed one loss for every four or five wins.

Using the NYY split scenario above, they are only allowed to lose three/four other games on their schedule. They play Tampa again, so assuming they take 2/3 and lose one game there, they have 2 or 3 losses available for use against Baltimore (6), Chicago (7), Seattle out west (3), Oakland out west (3), Toronto (3).

So they pretty much have to go 19-2 against those teams (all other assumptions held constant).

I figure why worry about it? Enjoy the games we have left because when they are over, it's a long wait til spring. I don't see any realistic way of spinning the numbers to get to October, but at this point, I don't care. There is still some baseball to watch and enjoy, and the stress levels will be reduced for me, so all is good!

Sadly, I won't be around tonight as we are off to Boston to help our daughter move. GO SOX!

there is the regular cable EI stations, but then there are canadian sportsnet stations that show the jays, but when they are off, play during the day or are out west, they often show nesn. tonight, even though the jays are in tampa at 7, nesn is on one of them!

What was Macdonald waiting for on Betltre's single in the 6th...he should have scored......And someone let Tito know everyone doesn't have to play, this isn't little league......how do you pinch run for Lowrie, he seems to have no respect for him as a player......